Title: Turn on the Light
Person, Spell, Location: Seamus Finnigan, Aguamenti, Room of Requirement.
Word Count: 1,197
Challenge: HPFC – Clue Prank Challenge
Rating: T (quite dark)
Seamus attempted the healing spell one last time, before giving up completely. He dabbed the wound gingerly, wincing when the bandage came in contact with the broken skin. Seamus sighed. Everyone had known that Hogwarts would be different after Dumbledore died. Many had not returned that year, and the one's that had regretted it deeply. Hogwarts couldn't even be recognized as the warm school that everyone thought of as home. It was more like a jail now. Seamus turned; he had the dormitory to himself. Usually, this would be a time he enjoyed, cherished even. But now, it felt so empty and cold. Seamus missed his best friend, Dean, who was in hiding. Neville was serving detention for standing up for a first-year who had been placed repeatedly under the cruciatus curse. Harry and Ron were apparently on the run, although Seamus knew that wherever they were, it was to help bring the reign of terror to an end.
By the time Neville returned, Seamus was already in bed, lying awake. Neville had long since lost the plump boyish face, and like many now at Hogwarts, he held a permanent haunted look and his eyes echoed the screams of pain and fear that constantly the pierced the silence. It was so dark now at Hogwarts. As Neville climbed into bed, he looked so broken and empty, Seamus felt fury rise like bile in the back of his throat. How could they do such too good people? Had could they do this to innocent children, and create such pain in the world? Don't they ever feel remorse? Or the suffering they cause? Or the anguish and pain and fear? Seamus decided in that moment, that whatever it took, he would carry out his revenge, and put more light into the gloom that settled itself over Hogwarts like a sudden mist. For the first time in too long, Seamus fell asleep satisfied.
As Angelina Johnson had once told him, in exasperation, as his parchment somehow caught fire in the Gryffindor Common Room in his fifth year, Seamus had an affinity for 'blowing stuff up'. For Seamus most explosions were accidental. This one, however, would be completely on purpose and well planned. He sat down in the Great Hall for breakfast five days later. He motioned to Neville to look up at the Teachers seats. Snape had just entered and was loading food onto his plate with a sour expression. The originally comfortable and ornate chair reserved for the headmaster had transfigured itself into a hard-backed chair which didn't look the least bit comfortable. As he picked up his fork, his plate flew slightly away from him, like the reaction between the north pole of one magnet and the north pole of another magnet. He tried again. The plate flew so fast from him this time that it clattered to the floor, shattering. Snape pulled out his wand, and attempted to repair it, but it only broke into tinier pieces. Snape gestured to Alecto Carrow who was sitting on the right of him, but she was too busy trying to swat something buzzing next to her ear. When she missed again, she let out a scream of fury and attempted to shoot it with the killing curse. She missed completely.
Suddenly, a popping resonated throughout the room. The whole room fell silent, just to watch a single spark float gently towards the floor. A huge bang echoed in the Great Hall and a huge sparkler lit up the entire room. It fizzed and sparkled for a few seconds before dividing into many multi-coloured fireworks. Alecto Carrow screamed and slid back in her chair, cowering. The impressive fireworks glided and looped, sweeping through the Slytherin table. A flash light left everyone temporarily blinded. When their sight returned, they were greeted with the sight of the Slytherin's gasping at each other, which looks that could only be described as pure horror. Their hair was now flashing yellow, black, red, gold, blue and bronze. Draco Malfoy had a majestic bronze eagle tapping his back with its feathered wing. Snape's expression, if possible, turned even sourer as a red and gold phoenix soared towards him, eyes blazing. Snape lazily flicked his wand and cast Aguamenti at the giant bird. With a loud pop, it multiplied into fifty fireworks, all simultaneously attacking the teachers and slytherin students alike, with even more vengeance than before. Amycus ran. He fled the Great Hall with an expression of great anguish. He was closely followed by Alecto, who was tailed by the original phoenix, gripping her face in an attempt to hide her singed eyebrows. The Slytherins were still attempting to regain their old hair colour, but only succeeding to make the colours more vivid and flash faster.
Meanwhile, the Great Hall being occupied with fireworks, the rest of the school cried with laughter, tears of pure joy making their way down the cheeks of a few pupils. McGonagall was proudly smiling at the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables while a Phoenix resided on her shoulder. Professor Sprout, Flitwick and the remaining staff all held similar poses to Professor McGonagall. None of the original staff looked as though they had any desire to stop the chaos that was unfolding beneath them. With a sound resembling thunder, the letters DA emblazoned themselves on the walls of Hogwarts, glinting and sparks flying. A few of the DA that still kept their galleon on them at all times, felt a heat radiate from wherever they kept their galleon. Rising as one, they started sprinting to the Room of Requirement. Hearts pounding, they hurtled past the tapestry of Barnabus the Barmy on the seventh floor, and joined Seamus who was there first, in pacing three times along the blank wall. After the third turn, an intricately carved door appeared.
Once everyone was inside, they cast the necessary protection enchantments and proceeded to think of everything they might need. The room resembled a common room, complete with all the colours of Hufflepuff, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. A phoenix stood in front of a portrait of Professor Dumbledore. Although the room would change, adapting to their needs, this room felt like home. Safe and warm, their hearts resumed their usual rate. Seamus finished conjuring toothbrushes for everyone there. Most of the girls hadn't turned up and the other houses, but Seamus was sure that they would come. His face was already battle wounded and scarred. He was sure that there would be more 'punishments' in the future, but as he lay in his hammock, he felt so safe and at home, those things would never affect him like they did before. Something Dumbledore had once said came back to him. "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." As he settled down to enter a deep sleep, he whispered "Wise old man, Dumbledore was." Unbeknown to the now snoring Seamus, the portrait of Dumbledore smiled happily, and proudly cast his gaze on the sleeping students. Life at Hogwarts, although not going to be any better for the foreseeable future, it certainly would be more bearable.
AN: Thanks so much for reading! Reviews are always welcome (obviously). Hope you enjoyed it